New Book by Mayo Clinic and Tufts Medical Center Doctors Help Brain Tumor Patients Steer Their Course

January 24, 2013

PHOENIX — Empowering patients during the course of their treatment is the goal of a new book, Navigating Life with a Brain Tumor, written by neuro-oncologists from Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

"So many times patients feel they have so much done to them, and we hope that this book will arm them with information they need to be an active participant in their treatment," says Alyx B. Porter, M.D., of Mayo Clinic and co-author of the book. "It's incredibly scary whenever anyone is told there is something in their brain that shouldn't be there, and once a person has all that emotion pumping it's hard to hear and remember. It's just not the best environment to receive all the information."

Dr. Porter is a co-author along with Lynne P. Taylor, M.D., of Tufts Medical Center. The comprehensive book discusses the basics of brain tumors, the various types of tumors, how to manage different tumors, related symptoms, treatments and side effects, the role of medical team members and coping strategies from initial diagnosis throughout the course of the illness.

"Patients can gain a great deal of comfort from having accurate information and a framework through which to view their diagnosis," Dr. Taylor says. "Our hope is that this book will provide some of that grounding and make it a little easier for patients and their families to navigate their illness and the medical system."

In addition to covering the most recent medical treatments, the book also includes information for patients on the following topics:

How to find the right information

How to reduce stress by eating well, meditation, movement and joining support groups

How to deal with cosmetic issues

How to use creativity and art as therapy

How to engage in daily activities such as working and driving

"Often the first place patients will go for information is the Internet and so much of what is out there is not helpful and almost antagonistic to what they need," Dr. Porter says. "This book is really a supplement to the patient-physician relationship. It can be a springboard for questions or a way to clarify terms that weren't understood."

About Tufts Medical Center

Tufts Medical Center is an exceptional, not-for-profit, 415-bed academic medical center that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and Floating Hospital for Children. Conveniently located in downtown Boston, the Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine. Floating Hospital for Children is the full-service children's hospital of Tufts Medical Center and the principal pediatric teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine.